1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a toner conveyance device and an image forming apparatus, such as, a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, or a multifunction peripheral (i.e., multifunction machine or MFP) having at least two of copying, printing, facsimile transmission, plotting, and scanning capabilities, that includes the toner conveyance device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image forming apparatuses, such as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, and multifunction peripherals (MFPs), typically include an image bearer to bear a toner image and a cleaning device to collect toner from the image bearer. Image forming apparatuses further include a toner conveyance device to transport toner collected by the cleaning device to a waste-toner container disposed in a body of the image forming apparatus (hereinafter “apparatus body”). For example, the toner conveyance device includes a conveyance channel that communicates with the cleaning device and the waste-toner container, a rotatable conveyor disposed in the conveyance channel, and a driving source to drive the conveyor, thereby transporting the collected toner from the cleaning device to the waste-toner container.